Arana was a great Bhakta who lived in the recent past. He lived in New Delhi in the early days of his life and was holding a high office. Once, in his dhyana, Saint Meera appeared in front of him and blessed him. She gave him the nama ‘Arana’.
Soon he moved to Chennai and his devotion to Lord Krishna grew multi-fold. He sang songs on Krishna in different languages. His satsang was always a calm and pleasant one – that is just about performing Kirtan towards developing love for Lord Krishna. The satsang does not criticize or hate anybody or anything, for they believe that everything is a ‘lila’ of Lord Krishna.
Arana lived for a short period after which he attained the feet of Lord Krishna.
MAHANS
I was raised to believe in God and the scriptures. But, I have never seriously done any meditation or pujas. Of late, I have been reading some of Jiddu Krishnamurti’s works. I desire to pursue the path of liberation. But, the ‘concept of bhakti’ versus ‘the concept of truth’ is very confusing to me. I am not sure which the right path is for me and how I should go from here. Please help!
Once Jiddu Krishnamurtiji was asked by a tradition loving person, why he is chastising tradition and scriptures so much. He immediately said, ‘This place is only for those who have lost faith in the scriptures. If you still have faith in them, this is not the right place for you!’
The central theme of Jiddu Krishnamurtiji teaching is that one has observe and be a light unto one’s self. So in short, one has to help one’s self for finding the truth. He termed Truth as pathless. If you want to pursue a path, then Krishnaji’s teachings are not your cup of tea. He has not prescribed any path. Any path supposes a tradition and discipline.
Bhakti is love for the truth. Truth is what that exists here, there everywhere, now and forever. Truth and love can’t be different. Love leads to Truth, and when established in Truth, love blossoms.
Doubts cease completely only in that final experience of truth. So, trying to get rid of doubts by intellect is to only multiply them. It is like plucking leaves of a giant tree one by one, by the time a complete cycle gets over, already new leaves have sprouted!
You used to trust our scriptures, now you tend to trust Sri Jiddu Krishnamurti. That is the only difference!
Path of liberation is really simple. Chanting Divine Names incessantly leads us there in due course of time, as pointed out by great Mahatmas.
It is said that “Madhava Swami was an attendant of Bhagavan Ramana. He was born as peacock in his next birth. But, isn’t this in contradiction to the statement of Bhagavan to another devotee? Specifically, the devotee who wishes to have initiation from Bhagavan only and says “if you do not give me initiation, even you have to take another birth, as only you will be my guru” — to this Bhagavan says, “Once you come here, where is the question of another birth?” I am unable to reconcile these two statements (assuming both are factual and correct). Kindly explain
Bhagavan Ramana Himself never uttered that Madhava Swami being reborn as a peacock, nor did he confirm the statement.
It is only the belief of the Bhaktas that Madhava Swami was reincarnated as a peacock.
I heard from your lecture that Lord Krishna came to rescue Senanayi. He was a great Bhakta indeed and would have chanted the Maha Mantra thousands of times a day. I am not so great as Senanayi and I don’t do as he did. Will Lord Krishna come to rescue me in the same way?
The Lord is equal for everyone. He showers the same compassion and kindness to everyone. He does not distinguish based on caste, creed, religion, color, geography, gender, wealth or status. All He longs for is love and devotion. If you have total faith and devotion to Him, He will definitely come before you some day.
In the book Jnana Yoga, Swami Vivekananda says that every thing that has a shape is a part of Maya. Then what about Gods? Are their shapes (idols) mere Maya or did the supreme lord Vishnu takes His shape by his power of Maya?
The answer for your question is in the book itself.
Go through the book completely – once, twice and many more times, until you find the answer.
Who are truly Sri Ramakrishna, Saradha Devi and Swami Vivekananda? Are they incarnations of God?
Sri Ramakrishna is considered as the avatar of Lord Vishnu and Saradha Devi as Mahalakshmi. Vivekananda is said to be a rishi from the Sapta Rishi Mandala.
An atheist is defined as the one who refutes religion and God. Would be right to call Sri J Krishnamurti an atheist? If not, what is the difference the two?
The difference between the view of J Krishnamurti and an atheist can be likened to that between opposite poles.
The atheist or non-believer denies everything that is about God and spirituality such as the existence of God, authenticity of scriptures, spiritual ideals, role of the Guru etc from a very superficial viewpoint. There is no honest, unbiased, open-minded probe into the deeper levels or a genuine yearning to find the truth. It is more out of hatred rather than open-mindedness.
The rational approach that J Krishnamurti advocates is one that is based on a genuine thirst to know and experience the ultimate truth. J Krishnamurti says that one should find the truth all by himself and not accept it just because it is written in the scriptures or it was told by the Guru. He says that if we simply accept it making no effort to progress it is a reflection of our laziness. It takes us nowhere. That is the context in which JK denies the word of scriptures, Guru or any set of predetermined principles. It is not due to hatred but due an absolutely unbiased, open-minded, sincere, focused approach to find the truth without any presumptions. This path too, if followed in the right way, will lead to liberation because that is the Ultimate Truth.
Besides, we can view JK in this way too.
God, out of His infinite mercy towards all beings, sends Mahatmas and saints to show them the way. The world is full of all kinds of people with varying interests, attitudes and preferences. Therefore Mahatmas too, vary their approach in order to show the Truth to people based on their varying attitudes. Sri Ramakrishna came for a particular purpose and Bhagavan Ramana came for another. Likewise, JK came to show the way for those people who were not oriented towards classical Sanatana dharma and had lost faith in such things
Bhagavan Ramana’s preaching is that the word ‘I’ is the greatest mantra, greater than even the Pranava Mantra, and by constantly practicing self-enquiry, the mind will merge into its source and liberation results. But I am not able to reconcile Ramana’s saying with your statement “Mahamantra of Krishna is the greatest mantra”. How can somebody who has realized say that only one particular form is the greatest while every form has to be eventually abandoned. Is not the enquiry ‘Who Am I’ the only path where all other paths end? Please clarify.
In this context, please allow me to ask you a few questions –
• One day while the young Ramana was at home, the fear of death gripped him. He decided to face this fear and in order to investigate, immediately rushed upstairs and lay as stiff as a corpse, pretending to be dead. He got rid of the fear of Death once for all and emerged as a Realized Being.
• After the above incident happened, a visitor to his house uttered the word ‘Arunachala’ and this drew him at once to the Arunachala Hill. He narrates this account himself. Now, who is greater, ‘I’ or ‘Arunachala’?
• Before leaving for the Arunachalam, he wrote a letter to his family members in which he said he was going to meet his Father. Now, who is greater, ‘I’ or his Father?
• As soon as he reached the Holy Arunachala temple, he ran straight into the sanctum sanctorum and embraced the Lord who was in the form of a Lingam. Now, who is greater, ‘I’ or the Lord in the form of the Lingam ?
• While he lived in Tiruvannamalai, once, when his mother fell ill, he composed two beautiful poems on Lord Arunachaleswara pleading the Lord to cure her. Now, who is greater, ‘I’ or the Lord Arunachaleswara?
• Once, when the Arunachaleswara deity was taken as a procession around the Hill (‘giri valam’), as the procession passed the Ashram, Bhagavan Ramana immediately stood up in reverence. When the devotees around wondered why he did so and enquired, he replied, ‘Appavirkku pillai enrum adakkam’ (The son is always subservient to the Father). Now, who is greater, ‘I’ or the Father?
• Bhagavan Ramana’s compositions like ‘Arunachala Aksharamanamalai’, ‘Arunachala Stuthi Panchakam’, ‘Arunachala Ashtakam’ etc. sing praise of none other than Lord Arunachaleswara. Now, who is greater, ‘I’ or Lord Arunachaleswara?
• The lyrics of one of his Tamil compositions read thus: ‘ninaivaru naal mudhalaaga miga peridhena…’ referring to the Arunachala which translates as ‘since the day I remember, I ascertained Arunachala as the greatest’. Now, who is greater, ‘I’ or the Arunachala?
• In one of his songs, Bhagavan Ramana says that the ‘I’ is nothing but Siva who is present in all the life forms including Lord Vishnu and Brahma. He has not composed any song on Lord Vishnu or Brahma. Is he not a Jivan Mukta?
Remember that all the aforementioned incidents had happened only after He had Realized the Self.
You will find answers to your question if you can answer the above questions.
